• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Interstitial nephritis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Tubulointerstitial nephritis; Nephritis - interstitial; Acute interstitial (allergic) nephritis

Treatment:

Treatment focuses on treating underlying causes and relieving symptoms. Avoiding the suspect medications may cause the symptoms to go away quickly.

Dietary restriction of sodium (salt) and fluid may control swelling and hypertension . Dietary restriction of protein may be needed to control azotemia (accumulation of nitrogenous waste products in the blood) associated with acute renal failure .

If dialysis is necessary, it usually is required for only a short time.

Corticosteroids or anti-inflammatory medications may be of benefit in some cases.

Expectations (prognosis):

Most often, interstitial nephritis is an acute but short-term disorder. On rare occasions it may cause permanent damage including chronic renal failure .

Complications:

• Acute renal failure
• Chronic renal failure

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if symptoms indicate interstitial nephritis may be present.

If you have interstitial nephritis, call if new symptoms develop, especially decreased alertness or decrease in urine output .

• Review Date: 9/13/2005
• Reviewed By: Robert Mushnick, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, SUNY Downstate Health Center, Brooklyn, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.